Mic check: Introducing RoQR

Posted November 29, 2022 by Sebastian Rollén ‐ 7 min read

RoQR is a modern, open, privacy-respecting and affordable platform for dynamic QR codes.

Why QR codes?

QR codes are having a moment. Originally invented in 1994 as a solution for tracking components in automotive manufacturing, adoption of QR codes for all sorts of industries has exploded over the last few years. It's no wonder either: QR codes are a modern technological marvel in terms of convenience and durability. We believe that QR codes have officially won the war for how we connect the physical and digital worlds. Scanning a QR code is significantly more convenient for your customers than manually entering a URL, and displaying a QR code is almost costless compared to other physical-to-digital links such as NFC badges. They're a bridge between the URL and the IRL.

QR codes are also full of helpful functionality that you might not even be aware of. Because of their two-dimensional nature and thoughtful design, QR codes can be scanned from any orientation. They also have a built-in self-correction algorithm, meaning that even a code that has been damaged from inclement weather or wear-and-tear can be scanned. QR codes can link to a wide range of data beyond URLs, including phone numbers, emails, SMS, apps and much more.

Why dynamic QR codes?

As fantastic as QR codes are, they can be made even more powerful when combined with a management platform to create what's known as a "dynamic" QR code.

When you create a traditional QR code, the data to which you want the code to link is encoded directly into the code, meaning that there's no way to update where the code links. For example, if you print a QR code on your business card as a way to make it easier for your clients to store your contact details, you have no way of updating those printed details if you change your phone number or email. Instead, you would need to create a new code, re-print your cards and ensure that your clients scan your new card to update the information.

A dynamic QR code doesn't link to your data directly, but instead links to RoQR's servers and then redirects the client to your stored data. This means that if you want to update any of your information, you can do so directly on RoQR's platform and your code remains the same. No need to print updated QR codes or marketing materials.

RoQR's dynamic QR code system also lets you view analytics about your scanned codes, such as where the code was scanned and how often. This data can serve as a crucial component in determining the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

Dynamic codes also allow for dynamic interactions with your customers. Want to share a resource with a limited subset of your customers before the official launch? RoQR allows you to password-protect your links, so that only customers with the password can view it. When you're ready for launch, just remove the password from the code. Want to offer a special perk for the first 1,000 customers who scan your code? Create a conditional code1, redirecting the first 1,000 customers to a rewards page and subsequent customers to another resource.

Why RoQR?

No arbitrary limits

One of our largest competitors only allows two QR codes and one user at the lowest pricing tier, and at their highest non-enterprise tier they have a restriction of max 5 users.2 Another allows for 3 codes at their intro tier and only allows for a single user until you upgrade to the "plus" tier which costs 20x more.3

At RoQR, we believe that the best way to price is by aligning our prices with our costs. Most costs from our business are driven by the number of scans, which is why that is the only factor we use to determine our pricing.

Use the workflow that works for you, invite any teammate you want, and experiment with many different types of codes — at RoQR we empower you to do it your way. And if you find that your QR codes are being scanned at a rate much higher than originally anticipated4 we will help you find the plan that best fits your need, with no other arbitrary limits, of course.

See our pricing

Privacy respecting

We believe that respecting customer privacy is not just the right thing to do; it makes financial sense, too. Digital analytics is a necessary and crucial tool in the modern company's toolbox, but too many of these tools have strayed from their mandate of providing insights into becoming pseudo-spyware. Tracking pixels follow movements across vast swathes of the web, and long-lasting cookies allow for tracking of individual web users far more closely than most consumers realize.

But change is happening all around us. Privacy-respecting analytics tools are getting more popular by the day, and trailblazers such as Plausible Analytics are drawing a line in the sand while showing that it's possible to build profitable, privacy-respecting and delightful tools. With many of the privacy-impinging old-guard finding their business-practices scrutinized more closely by regulators and empowered consumers, we know exactly which side of that line we want to stand.

Unlike some of our competitors, RoQR uses no tracking pixels, doesn't place any cookies on your customers' devices, and stores no personally identifiable information (such as IP addresses) about them in our databases. We also respect the wishes of customers who directly indicate to us that they do not want to be tracked at all. This means more peace of mind for your customers, easier data-compliance for you, and a better web for all of us.

Open code, open data

RoQR is built on the shoulders of contemporary giants, those of open-source developers. We benefit immensely from the often-thankless work of other developers. As a way of paying this debt forward, we decided to also make RoQR into an open-source project: all of the code behind our platform is freely available for anyone to look at, contribute to and use. You can even self-host RoQR if you so choose.

The data that you gather through RoQR's platform is also freely yours to use. You can always export your data and use it as you see fit, and we will soon launch webhook access so your code can react to events on the platform in real-time. If at any point you want to cancel your account and delete your data, we give you an option to do so with no question asked on the settings page.

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1

Conditional QR codes are not available yet, but are on our short-term roadmap. See the current roadmap.

4

That, my friend, is what we like to call a champagne problem